


Te Desidero - I miss you

by RachelDanna



Series: Hope in every dawn [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Full Game Spoilers, LITERALLY, Lowkey Reincarnation AU, M/M, Multi, Post Game, They find hope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-20 04:23:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10654839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RachelDanna/pseuds/RachelDanna
Summary: Decades after the sun rose again, Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto tell their story once more. How Noctis was never just their King. He was their friend. He was their friend, and he was something much more. The textbooks can only convey so much, after all.





	Te Desidero - I miss you

There was an aging blind man that often visited the rebuilt city of Insomnia. Years had passed since the sun rose once more, and the people of Lucis could live on as they should have from the very beginning.

He would linger by the entrances of Crown City and the Citadel but never stepped foot into it. Instead, the man was mostly seen near an apartment complex that had been rebuilt and had changed over the many years; not that he could see it. He would stray around the building and walk the streets to a nearby high school.

He walked around the city quietly. Once or twice, if one were to properly look at him instead of cowering warily away, they would describe a man with ashy brown hair that held a few strands of white and even more of silver. They would say that he stood tall and with a sense of unwavering pride; though when asked, they couldn’t say what the man was prideful _of_ , but they also said he carried an aura of sadness along with that pride. Thick opaque spectacles framed his face, but it did nothing to hide the awful scars that cut through his otherwise unblemished face.

Usually, the man would be accompanied by two others, one of which was a large man that stood protectively over his friends and had a knack for wearing thin flimsy clothes that somehow managed to look both formal and casual. He too, had scars, but no where near prominent to the ones framing the other man’s eyes and face. His dark hair was graying and he tended to look at his surroundings as if to scan for a threat. His posture seemed to always be in a state of ready to protect.

The second had blonde hair that faded into a soft gray, a bright smile on his face and a camera in his hands that seemed to never be in use. He walked with his hands on his hip, as if reaching for a weapon that would suddenly appear. He was often seen with smiles. Though some days, a dark look would take over and those days he would be seen more often than the blind man; walking the streets of the high school and apartment complex like routine, as if he were waiting for someone to show up.

The three of them seemed to be the talk of the town. No one knew their names, but the people that did recognize them kept their mouths shut and pretended not to see them whenever they crossed paths. These people were usually part of the Royal Guard(or what remained of it), or the people of higher social statuses. This fact did nothing to quell the nervousness of the common folk when they saw them.

They weren’t hiding, not really. Perhaps no one had bothered approaching them and asking for their names themselves.

It took curiosity from a college student that they finally knew more than what the three people had conveyed to the people. If you asked him, the boy would say it was curiosity, it was a sense of _want_ towards the three people. It was a _need_ to talk to them. It was something he couldn’t explain. Something he wanted answers to.

He decided that the only way to do so was to find answers with the camera the blonde man was seen carrying. To see what was in it and to hopefully ease the questions that often raced through his mind. It was with that thought that he managed to catch the trio by the arcade near the school, putting his plan into action.

It hadn’t ended well.

For starters, he couldn’t even get close to them before the biggest of the three had pinned the shocked boy to the wall, a frown on his face and an arm at his throat. The man stared down at the boy, surprise overcoming his features before he narrowed his eyes and asked, “What do you want, brat?”

It was the first time he had even heard them talk; it was the first time any one in the _city_ had heard them talk. The boy, quacking in fear under the intense stare of the man, was saved by the very man he was trying to steal from. Recognition flashed in the man’s eyes, though it quickly disappeared by another glance over at the boy.

“Oh come on, Gladio. Let the poor kid go. He looks like he ran into a behemoth!” he exclaimed, blue eyes twinkling in amusement. The man, who he now knew as ‘Gladio’, released the boy with a huff, crossing his arms defensively. “He tried to steal from you, Prom. He tried to take your camera.” Gladio grumbled, even as the blind man with the cane sighed and flicked Gladio’s arm. “I’m sure they had a reason to do so.” he said smoothly, voice no where near what everyone thought it was.

The blonde hummed, approaching the boy before smiling widely. “Hi there, my name’s Prompto.” he introduced, tone light enough for the boy to stop his shaking. Prompto, still as bright as ever, started gesturing to the large man and pulling the blind one closer at the same time. “This is Ignis. And the guy that tried to cut off your air supply is Gladiolus. Though most just call him Gladio.” he introduced.

Gladio sighed, arms unfolding themselves to rest at his side in exasperation. “Should we really be giving out our names so casually?” he questioned, walking towards one of the benches by the arcade, sitting down with a huff.

Ignis hummed, hand still clasped in Prompto’s. “Well, I am tired to be called by _‘the blind man with the scar on his face’_ whenever we pass civilians. Though the matter still stands,” he began, turning to look at the two high schoolers, managing to look stern despite being blind, “what did you need with Prompto’s camera? I imagine that technology these days are advanced enough to be able to capture a picture with your phones.” he questioned coolly.

The boy started to stammer quickly, making him nearly incorrigible. Ignis went still at the sound of his voice, clearer now that he was practically yelling. Prompto laughed, shaking his head in what could only be fondness, “Calm down kid, why don’t we go to the park and talk it out?”

Many looked at them as they made their way, loud whispers about the odd situation making Ignis sigh in irritation. The boy felt a little bad for them, drawing attention to the trio despite knowing they didn’t particularly want it. It’s with that thought that he led them to a quieter part of the park, sitting on the grass and waiting for the rest to follow suit.

They sat in a small circle, silence following suit as he stared at the three of them, gaze drawn to the scar on the blind man’s face no matter how he tried not to. The silence was soon broken with a throat clear from Ignis, succesfully snapping the boy out of his daze. “I am very much aware what you are looking at.” he said, making the boy wince guiltily. Before he could apologize, Ignis continued by taking the spectacles off, granting them all the view of the full extent of the scars on his face.

“I would imagine,” Ignis started again, hand now linked both in Prompto’s and Gladio’s. “That you tried to steal the camera wanting to know it’s contents, correct?” The boy started to nod, before quickly realizing that he couldn’t see it, and voiced his affirmation outloud.

With a smile, Prompto brought the camera forward in their little circle, turning it on with a soft _beep_. “You could’ve told us that. You didn’t need to attempt to steal it.” the blonde hummed. Ignis nodded his agreement, turning away as Prompto showed the pictures from decades ago. The boy recognized the three of them as their younger selves, though he couldn’t recognize the fourth man in almost all of the pictures he was being shown. Though he did seem familiar, as if he once saw him in a...in a History book... He’s seen the man in his history textbooks! Connecting the dots, he immediately gasped, “Y-You guys were with King Noctis! You were his crownsguard! Ignis Scientia, Gladiolus Amiticia, Prompto Argentum! I can’t believe no one recognized you! You were his-”

“We were his _friends_. We were his friends and we were more.” Gladio interrupted, voice deep and a little pained. “Took you long enough for you to figure it out, kid. For any of you folk in this city to actually.” Ignis felt Prompto’s grip in his tighten, and had assumed the blonde had put the camera away. “King Noctis was more than the _king_ to us. Noctis was very dear to all three of us. I have not heard what the textbooks have said about him. Gladio and Prompto had both refused to read it to me. A braille version of it has not yet to be released it seems.”

Prompto and Gladio immediately started to mumble complaints under their breaths about how _inaccurate_ the book was, how it was worse than fighting the chancellor himself. Ignis sighed, pulling his hands free before swatting both of his partners on the head lightly. “Come now, don’t be such children. We are much too old for that.”

The boy started to fidget, and pulled up every nerve in his body to say, “The books made him out to be hero. He was a hero, wasn’t he?” he asked, doubt filling his words at seeing the final king’s crownsguard so blandly disagreeing with the textbooks he was made to read.

Ignis smiled, shaking his head as Prompto grew quiet and Gladio looked away into the distance. “He was.” He affirmed. “Noct was a hero. He sacrificed alot, that much is true. Though according to Prompto and Gladio, they ‘glamorized alot of the things he did. The things that _we_ did. Did you know that the king had refused to eat a lot, if not all, kinds of vegetables?” Ignis said, a soft chuckle leaving his lips.

“He really hated beans.” Gladio snorted, letting Prompto lean on his side. “He also really liked to go fishing.”

The boy’s jaw dropped open, “Fishing? King Noctis liked to fish?” he questioned, not believing it. Prompto laughed, shaking his head at the memory, “On our journey, he would find an excuse to go fishing. He could spend a whole day at Galdin Quay just to fish.”

“I remember him kicking you into the water, Prom. After you pushed Ignis in.” Gladio chuckled, making Prompto huff but smile at the memory.

Seeing the three people reminiscing at the happy memory , the boy slowly grew confused, “... You were leading him to his destiny, weren’t you? Were you happy despite that? King Noctis was known to _die_.” He whispered.

Silence fell once more, before Ignis shifted and put his spectacles back on, making it easier to hide whatever emotion he could have felt. “At that time, we didn’t.”

The boy blinked, confusion setting in even further. Before he could question it, Ignis continued quietly. “We didn’t know he was to die. We didn’t. Not at that time. We were just going to send him to his wedding. He was supposed to wed Lady Lunafreya of Tenebrae. For a _peace treaty_. Prompto and Gladio tells me they skipped that part too.” Prompto’s shoulder slumped, hands reaching over to place a hand on the boy’s shoulder, a small sad smile on his face.

“There are alot of things the textbooks don’t tell you. They don’t tell you that we were his only real friends. They don’t tell you how much King Regis had to sacrifice, how much he loved his son.” Sensing Prompto tearing up, Ignis took his hand back into his own, and continued, “The books tell you about King Noctis. They don’t tell you about the man he was behind it.” Gladio looked at the boy, holding his gaze as he said, “They don’t tell you the full story. No textbook tells you that. They don’t tell you how much he loved his people, they don’t tell you how much he loved us. They tell you about _King Noctis_ , nothing more.”

It was then that Ignis started to tell the boy of their adventures, of how Noctis had once thrown a fit for camping for a week straight. Of the bliss they shared and the sorrow they faced. Ignis told him about _Jared, Iris, Cor_ , and all the people that helped them on their journey. How the crown weighed him down and how some days he didn’t want to leave bed to face the world. How some days it was rough on them _all_. The tension with the group when Ignis was blinded. The Astrals. The Nilfheim Empire. _Ravus_. Lady Lunafreya. Her death.

Ardyn.

Ignis told him the story from the start to the end, leaving out Noctis’ final words to him and his companions, the words that were meant for only them to hear echoing in his thoughts.

_Prompto._

_Gladio._

_Ignis._

_I leave it to you. Walk tall... my friends._

The boy looked at Prompto, who by now was looking down as he tried to compose himself. Decades after the sun rose once again, these three people were still stuck in the past. Or rather, stuck on their missing companion who had died for _all of them_.

Again, silence fell. Again, Ignis broke it once more.

“We miss him dearly.”

The boy swallowed down the lump in his throat at seeing three fully grown men talk about the past that the whole of Lucis did not know about. He swallowed down the lump in his throat as he watched them compose themselves and rid of the sadness gripping on the very edges of their life, never fully gone.

“Why?” he eventually asks. “Why are you telling me this?” Gladio huffed, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Because,” he started, catching Prompto’s eye and gripping Ignis’ hand, “You remind us of him.”

Prompto laughed, wet and a little sad, but with a happy tone in it, “You look just like him. Your eyes are a brighter blue than his, but you just... You look just like him.” the blonde said, voice growing quieter with every word.

Ignis hummed, turning to the direction of the boy, and smiled, “I have lost my sight, but my sense of hearing is functioning quite well. I must say... You sound very much like our dear friend. It has been some time since I’ve heard his voice. Thank you. I have missed hearing it.”

Gladio chuckled, “Way to sound like a creepy, delusional old man, Iggy.” he commented. Frowning, Ignis lifted his cane to hit Gladio in the stomach, making the larger man double over to wheeze. Prompto laughed, shaking his head at their antics. Shifting his gaze to the boy, Prompto grinned. “We never did get your name. We can’t just call you ‘kid’ for the rest of our lives now can we?” he said, putting a hand out to shake. The boy took it, shaking it firmly before showing a smile of his own.

“Elpis.” he finally introduces.

 

 _Hope_.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Elpis.”

**Author's Note:**

> me: suffers 15 minutes trying to find the right word to use for 'hope' for a name  
> my dear friend: Elpis is greek for hope  
> me: I'M USING THAT BYE 
> 
> Anyhow, this is an introduction to a new series I will be starting! In this series I'll be covering Noctis, Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis' thoughts on their *cough* friend and yes that means individual chapters about how they see Elpis and how he is NOT Noctis but a very close version of him.And yes future chapters will give more insight to their relationship with each other. 
> 
> I realise that with how the game went, Noctis would probably not be reincarnated, but because of that, I'm taking that assumption and twisting it and making it a whole lot angstier but also a whole lot happier. That makes little sense, but as the series progresses, I promise you, it will. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment on your thoughts!


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